Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable-based oils, such as
soybean oil, canola oil, or recycled restaurant fryer grease. Biodiesel can be
substituted for diesel fuel in most applications, and can be blended with
diesel fuel in any ratio. The major advantage of biodiesel as a fuel is that it
is a sustainable resource. In other words, it is a resource made from
feedstocks that can be readily regenerated in a short period, unlike petroleum
that is sourced from depleting oil reserves that took millions of years to
form. An important measure of the sustainability of a fuel is called the energy
balance, this is a ratio of the energy a resource contains relative to the
energy required to produce it. Biodiesel has a positive energy balance of approximately
3.2:1. Thus a gallon of biodiesel contains 3.2 times as much energy as was
required to produce it. When biodiesel is made from recycled grease, it has an
energy input of approximately 7:1. In addition, biodiesel has what is known as
a negative carbon balance. In other words, the crops grown for biodiesel
feedstocks absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the CO2
that is created when the fuel is burned. Compare this with petroleum, which
releases millions of years worth of absorbed carbon dioxide into our atmosphere
at a rate at which threatens the stability of our climate.

So you’re telling me that basically any diesel engine can
run on biodiesel? This must be some pretty cutting-edge technology! When was
biodiesel invented?

Actually, biodiesel owes its origin to Rudolph Diesel,
inventor of the diesel engine in the 1800’s. The engine which bears his name
was originally designed to run on vegetable-based fuels, in order for farmers
to be able to provide fuel for their own equipment from waste oils produced
from crop production. This was quickly sidestepped by America’s love for
petroleum once large oil reserves were discovered in the United States. Today
we are seeing resurgence in biodiesel, as oil reserves become increasingly
scarce and costly to produce. In addition, biodiesel offers greatly reduced
emissions and superior lubricity relative to petroleum diesel. In fact,
petroleum diesel has such poor lubricity, that manufacturers currently add
sulfur as a lubricating agent. This sulfur is responsible for much of the
sulfur dioxide emissions in our environment. There are laws in place to phase
out sulfur usage, and all diesel fuels sold in California in 2006 must meet the
new Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) specification.

How does biodiesel compare with other alternative fuels
out there?

There are many emerging alternative fuel technologies these
days, and to compare them, we must look at the following parameters: energy
balance, carbon balance, pollution created, availability, and cost to consumer.
Conventional petroleum fuels are also included for comparison

Gasoline:

Energy balance:
0.74:1

Carbon balance:
emits large quantities of sequestered carbon into our atmosphere. The rate at
which the carbon is released is greater than our environment can handle. This
threatens the stability of our climate.

Cost to
consumer: Heavily subsidized industry. Most estimates put the actual taxpayer
cost of gasoline to be approximately $15 per gallon. This includes subsidies to
petroleum companies for exploration, drilling, production, as well as the cost
for environmental remediation and health problems associated with gasoline.

Cost to
consumer: Heavily subsidized in the same way as gasoline. More economical than
gasoline, as diesel engines are much more efficient.

Biodiesel:

Energy balance:
3.2:1 – 7:1, depending on feedstock

Carbon balance:
net negative, feedstock cultivation absorbs more CO2 than is
produced in combustion of biodiesel

Pollution
created: Greatly reduced emissions relative to diesel fuel, with the exception
of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are slightly increased. Technology is
forthcoming to reduce NOx emissions, which will soon make biodiesel cleaner
than petroleum diesel in all aspects

Availability:
Not very common, yet. However, any vehicle using biodiesel can be filled with
diesel fuel for the times when biodiesel is not available.

Cost to
consumer: Currently commands a premium over petroleum diesel, but emerging
industry is expected to reduce the cost to the same as petroleum diesel or less
in the next few years

Ethanol:

Energy balance:
1.2:1

Carbon balance:
net negative

Pollution
created: Creates less pollution than the gasoline it displaces

Availability:
Ethanol is typically blended with gasoline, at ratios up to 85% (E85). It is
blended in small amounts into gasoline in California, replacing MTBE, a known
groundwater-polluting agent. E85 is rather uncommon in most markets

Cost to
consumer: Currently commands a premium for high-ethanol blends

Hydrogen

Energy balance:
Derived from petroleum, not sustainable

Carbon balance:
Produces no carbon when burned, however, processing of petroleum products into
hydrogen releases carbon into the environment

Pollution
created: Hydrogen is very clean burning, however, processing of petroleum into
hydrogen is energy intensive and creates pollution.

Availability:
Hydrogen is rather uncommon, as the industry has not developed a practical,
safe way to store it

Cost to
consumer: To be determined, expected to be the most expensive of all
alternative fuel solutions

When we compare all the
fuels above, only biodiesel stands out as a renewable, clean burning resource
that is available today.

What about hybrid vehicles? Are they better than
biodiesel?

The new hybrid vehicles
such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight generate a lot of press these days,
mostly due to the fact that they are different technology, and get good
mileage. However, these are powered by gasoline engines, and mileage is
generally comparable or only slightly better than a modern diesel non-hybrid
vehicle. Considering the fact that the gasoline hybrids are still using a
non-renewable fuel, biodiesel is the most logical choice. There are many
companies working on diesel hybrid technologies, that promise to offer us the
best of both worlds in the near future. These cars are expected to get 100 mpg
on renewable fuel. Now that’s technology to get excited about!

I’ve heard biodiesel called B20 and B100, what does that
mean?

The designation ‘B’ followed by a number indicates the
amount of biodiesel used in a biodiesel/petroleum diesel blend. So B20 would be
20% biodiesel/80% petrodiesel. B100 is the term used for 100% biodiesel. B5 and
B20 blends are commonly used as they greatly reduce the emissions relative to
pure petroleum diesel, and also may be useful in very cold climates. So
technically only B100 should actually be called ‘biodiesel’, but many people in
the industry use the term to describe a diesel blend with any amount of
biodiesel in it.

What sort of emissions reductions can I expect by using
biodiesel?

Most emissions are reduced with increased biodiesel blend
use:

B20

B100

Carbon Monoxide
(CO)

-13%

-48%

Nitrogen Oxides
(NOx)

+0-2%

+0-10%

Hydrocarbons

-20%

-67%

Particulate Matter

-12%

-47%

What about the increase in NOx? Isn’t that bad for the
environment?

While the increase in NOx with biodiesel use is widely
reported, it is of little concern for several reasons. NOx is only considered a
component of smog formation when large amounts of hydrocarbons are present. The
overall reduction of emissions from use of biodiesel makes the very small NOx
increase irrelevant. There are ways to eliminate this increase such as
retarding injection timing. Also, there are several promising technologies on
the horizon that can potentially make biodiesel a NOx-neutral or NOx-negative
fuel.

So I can use biodiesel in my diesel vehicle today? What
are the differences relative to using petroleum diesel?

Any diesel engine can use biodiesel, but there are some
specific instances where B100 is not recommended. All diesel fuels tend to
solidify (‘wax’) at cold temperatures. For this reason, petroleum diesel is
often ‘winterized’ by blending in kerosene or other additives. Typically,
unwinterized diesel is usable down to about 20°F. Winterized diesel can
be good down to 0°F
or below. Biodiesel tends to solidify at a slightly higher temperature,
typically 20-40°F.
For this reason, B100 is not recommended for use in very cold climates.

So I can’t use biodiesel because it gets below 40°F
here in the winter, what can I do?

In cold climates, biodiesel either needs to be winterized or
blended with petroleum diesel. Typically, B20-B50 blends work well in climates
where the temperature does not go below 20°F for extended periods.

So what modifications are required to use biodiesel in my
diesel vehicle?

In general, this depends on two factors: the percentage of
biodiesel you would like to use, and the age of your vehicle. For B20 blends,
no modifications are necessary in most cases. For B100 usage, most vehicles
newer than 1994 require no modifications. Many vehicles older than 1994 use
natural rubber fuel lines, which are not compatible with B100. In this case,
both the fuel line from the tank, and return lines to the tank should be
replaced with newer Viton lines. The only other effect of biodiesel occurs due
to the strong solvent properties of the fuel. Petroleum diesel sold in America
is generally very crude, dirty fuel, and tends to deposit varnish throughout
the fuel system. Biodiesel dissolves this varnish, and many users find that they
need to change their fuel filter after the first few tanks of B100. After
changing the fuel filter once, in most cases no additional maintenance is
required.

I’ve heard of people running their vehicles on unrefined
fryer grease, is this biodiesel?

Although biodiesel can be made from fryer grease, the grease
alone as it comes out of the fryer is not biodiesel. While diesel engines can
burn straight vegetable oil (or SVO as it is commonly called), there are many
limitations that prevent it from being used as a fuel replacement. SVO is much
thicker than refined fuel, and can only be used as diesel fuel when it is
pre-heated prior to being fed to the engine. Simple systems exist that use heat
from the cooling system to heat the incoming fuel prior to injection into the
engine. But in this case, the engine must be started up and shut down on
regular diesel fuel or biodiesel, then switched to SVO while the engine is
running. For this reason, SVO isn’t as user-friendly as biodiesel, and isn’t
recommended for most people.

I’ve heard it is really easy to make biodiesel, so why
shouldn’t I make my own?

While production of biodiesel is a relatively simple
chemical process, producers of biodiesel use rigorous testing procedures to
insure that the fuel meets the standards of the American Society of Testing and
Materials (ASTM). The majority of these tests are cost-prohibitive for most
home-brewers. While it is possible to home-brew ASTM-quality biodiesel,
production involves some very flammable liquids that shouldn’t be undertaken
lightly by just anyone.

Can biodiesel damage my engine?

There as never been (as far as we know) any engine damage
attributable to ASTM-grade biodiesel. That said, off-spec biodiesel (or
off-spec petroleum diesel for that matter) could harm your fuel delivery
system. That is why it is important to purchase your biodiesel from a reputable
company that you trust.

Will biodiesel void my warranty?

Although there have been conflicting reports on this
subject, the reality is that engine manufacturers warranty engines, and do not
warranty fuel used in engines. Fuel is warranted by the fuel manufacturers. All
reputable manufacturers sell ASTM-quality biodiesel, which will not harm an
engine. In fact there is a law known as the Magnusson-Moss act that
specifically prohibits vehicle manufacturers from denying warranty service to a
user of alternative fuels.

Will biodiesel affect my mileage and performance?

Biodiesel has slightly different properties than diesel
fuel, mostly with respect to the cetane number and energy density. For this
reason, it offers slightly less performance, and slightly less mileage. In most
cases, the differences are less than 5% and are not verynoticeable. We have
found that biodiesel is basically indistinguishable from petroleum diesel in
our Jetta, we are still getting about 44 MPG, and it has power to spare. The
only major difference we notice is that our exhaust smells a lot better!

Is the handling of biodiesel dangerous?

The flammability of a
liquid is expressed as flash point, which is defined as the temperature at
which the material can sustain a flame on its surface. From a hazard
perspective, diesel fuels in general are considered to be much safer than other
petroleum fuels, due to their high flash point. Within diesel fuels, biodiesel
is much less flammable than petroleum diesel. To get an idea of the relative
flammability of biodiesel, lets compare the flash points of several well-known
fuels1:

FuelFlash Point (°F)

Propane-100 to –150

Gasoline-45

Charcoal lighter fluid160

Petroleum diesel160

Biodiesel321

From the data above, it
is evident that the only reason to classify biodiesel as a ‘fuel’, is the fact
that it can substitute well for petroleum diesel. From a flammability
perspective, it is closer to the vegetable oil from which it is derived.

In a study performed by the University of Idaho, Biodiesel in water was
found to degrade 95% in 28 days. During the same time period, petroleum diesel
fuel degraded only 40%. In another study performed in an aquatic environment,
Biodiesel was found to have similar biodegradable characteristics as dextrose
(sugar). A standard aquatic toxicity test using bluegill determined that
biodiesel is an ‘insignificant’ risk to marine life.

The acute oral lethal dose for Biodiesel has been found to be at 17.4 g/Kg
of body weight. In comparison, ordinary table salt is lethal at 1.75 g/Kg of
body weight, making salt almost ten times more toxic than Biodiesel. So for an
average male who might weigh 175 pounds, the lethal dose of salt would be about
4.5 ounces and for Biodiesel almost 3 pounds, which translates to almost 1.5
quarts of Biodiesel that would have to be ingested.

In twenty-four hour patch tests on humans, 100% Biodiesel produced only mild
irritations, which in comparison was much less than that produced by a 4%
aqueous soap solution.2

So to summarize, biodiesel is safer to store and handle than petroleum
diesel

Can I use biodiesel in my gasoline-powered car?

Unfortunately, biodiesel can only be used in diesel engines. A diesel engine
is a completely different animal compared to a gasoline engine.

Why should I use biodiesel?

In addition to the increase in fuel economy offered by diesel engines over
gasoline engines, biodiesel offers many benefits over conventional petroleum
diesel:

·Burns much cleaner, great reduction in carcinogenic
compounds

·Reduces greenhouse gases via its negative carbon cycle

·Increases national security by promoting American-grown
fuel over imported foreign oil. The use of biodiesel keeps money in our own
economy, creating jobs for

While diesel vehicles are a lot less common in the United States relative to
Europe, there are still many options available for those who want a diesel
vehicle. New diesel passenger cars are currently being sold in the US by
Volkswagen and Mercedes. For those people who don’t want to buy a new car,
there are plenty of used VW and Mercedes on the market. Considering the
longenity of the diesel engines in these cars (several hundred thousand miles
is typical), there are diesel options available at all price ranges. When it
comes to trucks, there is a wide selection of vehicles available, generally in
the heavier trucks (3/4 ton and up). As consumer demand for new diesel vehicles
continues to increase, American automakers are sure to respond with new models.
There are many more models available for sale in Europe, where diesels are much
more popular. We are starting to see this shift occur in the U.S., for a long
time there were no mid-size SUVs with diesel engines, but Jeep will be offering
a diesel version of their Liberty model in 2005.It appears that once the new low-sulfur diesel regulations go
into effect in 2007, that there will be even more options available.

Are there any other applications where biodiesel can be used?

Biodiesel can substitute for practically any application that uses diesel
fuel or fuel oil. It is being increasing used to replace home heating oil, thus
further reducing our dependence on foreign oil. It is also widely used in
generator and marine applications. Regardless of the specific application, the
benefits of using biodiesel are realized.

I’d like to try biodiesel in my equipment, but I don’t have the time to
do the extra maintenance and education of my employees. Where can I get help
with these issues?

We offer a full range of support services to our customers. Everything from
initial assessment to vehicle modifications to follow-up support is available.
We believe in our product and we realize that a loyal customer base is critical
to our success. An educated consumer is a happy consumer! With a little
education, it can be a drop-in replacement that works as easily as petroleum
diesel for most folks.

Sounds great, so where can I get it?

Currently, availability of biodiesel is limited in the Sierras. There are
currently no local pumps in the Sierras carrying any blends over B5. There are
plans for a B100 pump in both the Reno/Sparks area and in the greater
Sacramento area in the near future. In the meantime, some people may find it
more convenient to have biodiesel delivered to their home or business. Please
contact us if interested, we have a variety of delivery and storage options
available.